Mega Millions Odds
Find out the odds of winning a Mega Millions prize in any of the nine different prize levels, detailed in the table below.
The jackpot is won if any ticket holder matches the winning combination exactly. There are five main numbers drawn from 1 to 70, plus one Mega Ball from 1 to 25. Your chances of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350.
You can still win prizes by matching fewer numbers. All of the different ways to win are shown in the table below, together with the probabilities for each category and the prize that you will be paid. Your odds of winning are exactly the same regardless of which numbers you choose.
| Prize Level | Odds of Winning | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| Match 5 + Mega Ball | 1 in 302,575,350 | Jackpot |
| Match 5 | 1 in 12,607,306 | $1,000,000 |
| Match 4 + Mega Ball | 1 in 931,001 | $10,000 |
| Match 4 | 1 in 38,792 | $500 |
| Match 3 + Mega Ball | 1 in 14,547 | $200 |
| Match 3 | 1 in 606 | $10 |
| Match 2 + Mega Ball | 1 in 693 | $10 |
| Match 1 + Mega Ball | 1 in 89 | $4 |
| Match 0 + Mega Ball | 1 in 37 | $2 |
The odds of winning any Mega Millions Lottery prize are 1 in 24.
There is a minimum jackpot of $20 million, and it grows each time it is not won. It often climbs into the hundreds of millions of dollars and has even reached $1 billion a number of times. The probability of matching all the numbers remains the same, no matter how large the jackpot. The only way to improve your chances is to buy more tickets.
The jackpot is split if multiple players win, but all of the other prizes are fixed amounts. The exception is in California, where state rules dictate that prizes must be pari-mutuel - the amounts vary based on ticket sales and the number of winners.
Megaplier Prizes and Odds
The Megaplier is a way to multiply your prizes by up to 5 times. There's an extra cost to add it to your ticket, but if you go on to win a non-jackpot prize you will see it increased by 2, 3, 4 or 5 times. This gives you the chance to win up to $5 million without even having to match all the numbers.
The Megaplier number is drawn before the main drawing. It is randomly selected from a pool of 15 balls - five are marked 2X, six are marked 3X, three are marked 4X and one is marked 5X. The following table shows the prizes you can win if you add the Megaplier option, and the odds of each multiplier being applied.
| Numbers Matched | Prize for 2X Megaplier (odds 1 in 3) | Prize for 3X Megaplier (odds 1 in 2.5) | Prize for 4X Megaplier (odds 1 in 5) | Prize for 5X Megaplier (odds 1 in 15) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 + Mega Ball | Jackpot | - | - | - |
| 5 | $2 million | $3 million | $4 million | $5 million |
| 4 + Mega Ball | $20,000 | $30,000 | $40,000 | $50,000 |
| 4 | $1,000 | $1,500 | $2,000 | $2,500 |
| 3 + Mega Ball | $400 | $600 | $800 | $1,000 |
| 3 | $20 | $30 | $40 | $50 |
| 2 + Mega Ball | $20 | $30 | $40 | $50 |
| 1 + Mega Ball | $8 | $12 | $16 | $20 |
| 0 + Mega Ball | $4 | $6 | $8 | $10 |
